The Mayor of the City of Hoboken is the head of the executive branch of government of Hoboken, New Jersey, United States. The mayor has the duty to enforce the municipal charter and ordinances; prepare the annual budget; appoint deputy mayors, department heads, and aides; and approve or veto ordinances passed by the City Council. The mayor is popularly elected in a nonpartisan general election. The office is held for a four-year term without term limits.

Forty individuals have held the office of mayor since the City of Hoboken was chartered on March 29, 1855. Cornelius V. Clickener was the inaugural mayor of the city, and served two consecutive terms. The current mayor is Emily Jabbour, who began serving on January 15th, 2026.

Duties and powers The City of Hoboken is organized as a mayor-council form of government under the Optional Municipal Charter Law. This provides for a citywide elected mayor serving in an executive role, as well as a city council serving in a legislative role. All of these offices are selected in a nonpartisan municipal election and all terms are four years. Under state law, the mayor has the duty to enforce the charter and ordinances of the city, and all applicable state laws; report annually to the council and the public on the state of the city; supervise and control all departments of the government; prepare and submit to the council annual operating and capital budgets; supervise all city property, institutions and agencies; sign all contracts and bonds requiring the approval of the city; negotiate all contracts; and serve as a member, either voting or ex officio, of all appointive bodies.

The mayor has the power to appoint departments heads with the approval of the City Council; to remove department heads subject to a two-thirds disapproval by the City Council; approve or veto ordinances subject to an override vote of two-thirds of the council; and appoint deputy mayors. The mayor is permitted to attend and participate in meetings of the City Council, without a vote, except in the case of a tie on the question to fill a council vacancy.

Succession In the event of an absence, disability, or other cause preventing the mayor from performing his duties, the mayor may designate the business administrator or any other department head as acting mayor for up to 60 days. In the event of a vacancy in the office, the President of the City Council becomes acting mayor, and the council has 30 days to name an interim mayor. If no interim mayor is named, the Council President continues as acting mayor until a successor is elected, or until the council reorganizes and selects a new president. Prior to 1971, there was no automatic succession law.

Mayors Mayor Took office Left office Tenure Party Election 1 Cornelius V. Clickener 2 years Democratic 1855 2 Franklin B. Carpenter 1 year Republican TBA 3 George W. Morton 1 year Democratic TBA 4 Franklin B. Carpenter 1 year Republican TBA 5 John R. Johnston 3 years Unknown TBA 6 Lorenzo W. Elder 1 year Democratic TBA 7 Charles T. Perry 1 year Democratic TBA 8 Frederick B. Ogden 2 years Democratic TBA 9 Frederick W. Bohnstedt 2 years Democratic TBA 10 Hazen Kimball 2 years Unknown TBA 11 Frederick L. Schmersahl 2 years Republican 1871 1872 12 Peter McGavisk 2 years Democratic TBA 13 Joseph Russel 3 years Unknown TBA 14 Elbridge Van Syckel Besson 2 years Republican TBA 15 John A. O'Neill 1 year Democratic TBA 16 Elbridge Van Syckel Besson 2 years Republican TBA 17 Herman L. Timken 3 years Unknown TBA 18 Edwin J. Kerr 2 years Unknown TBA 19 August Grassman 3 years Unknown TBA 20 Edward R. Stanton 1 year Democratic TBA 21 William Ellis 1 year Unknown TBA 22 Lawrence Fagan 8 years Democratic TBA 23 Adolph Lankering 5 years Unknown TBA 24 George Henry Steil Sr. 4 years Democratic TBA 25 George Washington Gonzales 2 years Republican TBA 26 Martin Cooke 3 years Unknown TBA 27 Patrick R. Griffin 11 years Democratic TBA 28 Gustav Bach 3 years Democratic TBA 29 Bernard N. McFeely 17 years Democratic TBA 30 Fred M. DeSapio 6 years Democratic TBA 31 John J. Grogan 12 years Democratic TBA 32 Louis Depascale <1 year Unknown TBA 33 Silvio Failla <1 year Democratic TBA 34 Louis Depascale 8 years Unknown TBA 35 Steve Cappiello 12 years Democratic TBA 36 Thomas Vezzetti Democratic TBA – Patrick Pasculli 1 year Democratic 37 4 years 1989 38 Anthony Russo 8 years Unknown 1993 1997 39 David Roberts 8 years Democratic 2001 2005 40 Peter Cammarano Democratic 2009 – Dawn Zimmer Democratic 41 2009 special 2013 42 Ravinder Bhalla Democratic 2017 2021 43 Emily Jabbour Incumbent Democratic 2025

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External links Hoboken Mayor Cammarano arrested by FBI: report N.J. officials, N.Y. rabbis caught in federal money laundering, corruption sweep Mayors of Hoboken, New Jersey at Political Graveyard